Being A Storyteller In A Story-Seller World
5th Edition - Originally Published in May
Table of Contents:
Literary News: The Genesis Package & New Writing Deals!
Editing Promo: What Makes Cyrus Edits Different?
Upcoming Projects: MMIW Awareness Day
Literary News
Indefinite Humanitarian Book Cover Deal!
Want to help out a family from Gaza AND finally get the book cover of your dreams?
“I am Safa'a, a mother to three young children and a wife. We resided in Zahraa City in Gaza before the war destroyed our family home and dental clinic. We want to rebuild our future by building a small house. It will consist of a room, bathroom, and kitchen full of food, water, clothes, toys and other household essentials. My children are prone to sickness as the tents wear down easily and will not protect us from the summer heat nor the freezing winters. Please anyone with a merciful heart and an ounce humanity can help me and my family on our journey to a new life. Whether if it's by donating or sharing this campaign.”
Introducing The Genesis Package!!
WHAT:
A Free First Chapter Edit (no word limit), with a complete developmental, line/copy, and structural edit of chapter.
A raw copy of initial edits
A finished copy of applied edits (for poetry submissions only).
A 5-page final report of in-depth critical feedback with literary resources provided.
An hour (negotiable) video meeting/call through zoom after manuscript is returned to answer any queries and/or clarification for the developmental, copy, and line editorial critiques.
WHO:
Anyone who follows my Tik Tok page!
WHY:
To celebrate Cyrus Edits’ One year anniversary of being freelance!
HOW:
Help get my Tik Tok to 5K followers! A google form and accompanying NDA will be going out June 21st. EVERYONE who applies before July 5th will win the promotion!!!
What That Form Will Look Like:
QUESTIONS
Do you wish to participate in the giveaway?
What developmental areas do you wish highlighted in the edit?
What’s your chapter’s word and page count?
What’s your chapter’s genre and intended age audience/rating?
Any trigger/content warnings I should be aware of?
SUBMISSION
Submit a screenshot to confirm you have followed our Tik Tok.
Sign and submit the NDA to protect your work.
Submit your first chapter in pdf. form.
PROS:
IT’S FREE
You’ll save up to 30$ on manuscript editing!
You get to follow a crazy amazing editor who priorities storyTELLING over storySELLING!
You get to join the Cyrus Rays' Community of which we already have over 2,600 amazing friends in!!
CONS:
You have to admit your story is worth others’ reading!
Check out more about my Services.
Editing Promo
What Makes Cyrus Edits Different?
There are hundreds of indie editing companies and freelance editors available nowadays. How is my brand different? Why choose Cyrus Literary Productions over other freelancing? The answer lies in three values: Integrity, Storytelling, and Patience.
Integrity
My developmental, line/copy, and structural editing is always subtle — the writing still feels like yours.
Your writing style is a priority and is always non-negotiable in edits.
I have a university background in history, anthropology, and Indigenous studies. I’m an aro-ace spectrum, transgender, gender non-conforming, queer, poly, disabled storyteller. Henceforth, I fact-check to adhere to cultural sensitivity, never for ethnocentric, heteronormative, or allonormative standards of literalism.
My prices are below industry standard. I edit because I love to uplift stories, never for an income.
Cyrus Edits: 0.012$ USD per word
Industry Standard: 0.020$ USD to 0.080$ USD per word.
Storytelling
My mantra is STORY-TELL, NOT STORY-SELL! I edit to improve storytelling, never to mold a profitable product. We are creatives first!
I encourage unconventional, non-linear, dark, weird, unpopular, niche, and unique storytelling that is true to you.
Patience
You’re scared to share your work but know it’s the next step? Take your time, I’ll be here for you whenever you decide.
I once didn’t receive a manuscript for a full year from one client. We stayed in connection and contact through it all, working to boost their self-confidence in their writing.
There’s no race for booking. I understand you have a life. You’re human beings, not human doings.
I have a 0% tolerance towards giving harsh critiques. Being kind while being constructive is the easiest thing in the world. I can get my point across without belittling people (bare minimum wow).
I never leave you unsure. You don’t understand an edit? I’m there to not only thoroughly explain my reasoning, but additionally to PROVIDE resources for you to improve!
IDK = Not in our vocabulary.
Learn more about my qualifications in the About section of my website.
Projects - Up Now!
THE RECONCILI-ACTION DATABASE
The Reconcili-Action Database (RAD) is an unofficial database of MMIP databases with the purpose of being an organized central hub for MMIP resources, activism opportunities, and support groups for families. The RAD intends to track every reported Missing and Murdered Indigenous women in Canada, paying special respect to emphasizing the soul of these stolen people, rather than displaying them as dehumanized statistics – a method to both honour their memory and bring comfort to their families.
This is a non-profit initiative, and 100% of any proceeds collected through fundraising events will be donated to the Blood Tribe Council and Kainai Nation.
May 5th is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Awareness Day. MMIW Day is a day to remember, advocate for, and mourn the missing and murdered Indigenous Women, girls, two-spirited individuals and men who have been stolen from us and our communities.
Statistics show that 96% of violence towards Indigenous women on reservations are caused by non-indigenous peoples. Indigenous women make up 4% of the Canadian population, yet they are 12 times more likely than any other race to go missing or be murdered. It was deemed a national inquiry and genocide in 2019 by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, yet only 18/40 of estimated Indigenous deaths on the Highway of Tears are recognized by the RCMP.
This Highway of Tears, officially known as Highway 16 on the Trans Canada Highway in British Columbia, is the site of the most Indigenous kidnappings and murders in Canada aside from residential schools.
Over 4000 Indigenous women and girls have gone missing or have been murdered in the last 30 years. Indigenous Status girls aged 15 to 19 are five times more likely to die than non-Status Canadians. That’s around 133 Indigenous women being stolen a year. That’s three Indigenous women and girls being murdered or going missing a week. These women's’ cases are often overlooked because of stigma, dehumanization, and stereotypes surrounding Indigenous people and the racism in our society.
The 231 Calls to Justice is a report made by Indigenous writers and activists that calls upon all governments to ensure that all Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people are provided with safe, no-barrier, permanent, and meaningful access to their cultures and languages in order to restore, reclaim, and revitalize their cultures and identities. You can read the full report online at here.
If someone you know has gone missing or been murdered, a number of organizations can help: It Starts With Us, No More Silence, Families of Sisters in Spirit, and the Native Women’s Association of Canada are all MMIW databases and support groups that you can contact. They are all cited within the RAD.
